Less than a year after undergoing a hip replacement, Halesworth swimmer Neil Howell last week became a Great Britain double champion by winning both the 200m breaststroke and the 50m backstroke events.

Less than a year after undergoing a hip replacement, Halesworth swimmer Neil Howell last week became a Great Britain double champion by winning both the 200m breaststroke and the 50m backstroke events.

The three-day meet was the British Masters Age Group Championships held at the Manchester Aquatic Centre in the 50m long pool built for the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

Howell started as favourite for the 200m breaststroke, having been beaten only once at the distance in 2008.

In the 50m backstroke championship, the Suffolk swimmer had a close race with Brian Shenstone (City of Chester), winning by 0.4 seconds.

Another tight race came in the 100m breaststroke with the veteran swimmer gaining the silver medal, 1.24 seconds behind Peter Tucker (Darwen).

A fourth medal for the East Anglian Swallow Tails swimmer, a bronze, came in the 50m breaststroke.

Over 600 competitors took part in the event coming from both the United Kingdom and abroad.